Guardians
by onlyonekamui
Summary: After Quatre is struck during battle, Duo blames himself for the tragedy just as he did when his childhood friend Solo was murdered. Will Duo find closure? Will Quatre survive? Warning...a bit on the sappy side...


Guardians  
  
"We're getting our asses kicked! We have to evacuate now!" Duo put in the coordinates to escape. The others began to do so as well. There were too many suits for them to handle. Damn mobile dolls. Electrical sparks began to shoot off in their cockpits.   
  
"I'm losing control!" came Quatre's voice over the radio. Suddenly, Sandrock shut down leaving his cockpit door open. "Come on! Reboot!"   
  
"Quatre! In front of you! Sniper rifles!" Heero moved to push him out of the way. Quickly, Quatre unhooked his harness and moved to escape, but it was too late. Two sniper lasers caught him in the chest. The other four pilots immediately grabbed hold of their chests. What was that? Was 04 rubbing off on them that much?  
  
His limp body fell to the ground. Duo's amethyst eyes turned scarlet; his scythe blazed on. In a fit of rage, he took out the last of the mobile dolls. All was silent save the sound of Duo's heavy breathing over the radio. It then turned into the sound of shutting down and unhooking.   
  
02 leapt down from Deathscythe and ran to Quatre. He fell to his knees and gently rolled his Arabic friend over. Quatre looked up at him, gasping and grabbing wildly at Duo.   
  
"It…it hurts." Tears ran down his face.  
  
"Calm down Quatre. I'm not going to let you die."  
  
"Duo! Duo, I can't br…breathe. Don't…give up…because of me…go and fight."  
  
"Quatre, it's over. I need to get you help." Quatre's grip loosened. He smiled up at 02.   
  
"It's too late." His eyes closed.   
  
"No!" His pulse was gone. Immediately Duo began CPR. The others rushed over to find him pounding on 04's chest. "I'll call Sally. We can trust her to help Quatre." Duo continued as Heero and Trowa looked on.   
  
"Oh come on Quat, hold on!" Trowa said gripping a cold, limp hand.   
  
"Trowa, I'm okay. Don't worry. It amazingly doesn't hurt anymore. So let's go guys. Come on."  
  
"That laser ate through one of the arteries to his heart. The only thing keeping him alive right now is the fact that Duo's keeping his rhythm," Trowa said as he searched for a pulse with his other hand.   
  
"Guys? Hello? Come on, it's okay. Guys?" Worry filled Quatre's voice.   
  
"They can't hear you. You've passed into another dimension." A boy sat on Sandrock, looking down at him.  
  
"Who are you? Why can you hear me and not them?!" The boy smiled down at him and hovered down past him. Gracefully, he moved over to Duo and whispered something into his ear. 02's expression turned from worried to determined. The boy patted him on the shoulder and walked back over to Quatre.  
  
"What did you say to him?"  
  
"You'll find out later. Come on. You don't want to watch this." The boy took his hand and led him away.  
  
"But my friends…?"  
  
"…will be fine. I promise. I wouldn't let anything bad come of Duo, ever."   
  
Even though he was still reluctant, he went along with the stranger.   
  
"Where the hell is she?!"   
  
"She's on her way. Calm down. Yelling won't help anything and you know it."Wufei gave Duo a pat on the back.   
  
"You look tired. Let me take over."   
  
"No, Heero. I have to do this. I promised him I wouldn't give up. Damn it! Where is she?!" Blood stained his hands.  
  
"There! There she is! Sally, over here." Trowa got up and began to wave her in.  
  
She drove in with a few men who helped her get Quatre onto a stretcher. Duo continued to pump.   
  
"He needs to be operated on. Duo, can you hold out a little longer?" Sally asked as they rushed to the van.  
  
"I don't have a choice in the matter. The person you should be asking if Quatre." Sweat beaded down his face as he pressed on.  
  
"You still haven't said who you are," came Quatre. The boy stopped and turned around.   
  
"Have a seat and I'll tell you."  
  
Quatre realized that they were standing in the waiting room or a military hospital.   
  
"What…?"  
  
"You'll see." Just then the doors swung open, allowing Heero and Wufei to come in. Next came a stretcher with Duo on top of…him! Then Sally with an O2 bag and Trowa. As quickly as they entered, they vanished into the next room. "You're not seeing things. That really is you. I was in shock when it happened to me but I have come to accept it. You're not dead, not yet anyway. And the way that Duo's keeping that up, I doubt you will. I'll just keep you company till you come around."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"My name's Solo."  
  
"You're…oh. Duo talks about you sometimes."   
  
"Yeah. He really beats himself up about what happened. I don't blame him at all, but obviously I can't tell him that."  
  
"I know how you feel. If I could just have one more chance to talk to Wufei." A girl appeared in the corner.   
  
"Good evening Nataku."  
  
"You mean…?"  
  
"Yes Quatre. I am Wufei's wife. Even though it was just for a short time, I watch out for him."  
  
"Just as I watch out for Heero." An older gentleman sat in a corner chair.   
  
"Odin." Quatre was taken aback. But a question swirled his mind. "What about Trowa? Who watched out for him?" There was a long pause.   
  
"No one up there is sure who he is. If we knew who he really was, then maybe." Solo looked up with pity across his face.   
  
Shingami walked out f the operating room, blood everywhere.   
  
"You did well, Duo," Trowa tried to force a smile. He was tired and covered in his comrade's blood.   
  
"I….I need to shower. Excuse me." Slowly Duo walked down the hallway. Wufei started to follow but was stopped by Heero.   
  
"He needs some time alone."  
  
"But…"   
  
Heero shook his head. "Not now."  
  
You all watch out for all of my friends, but who watches out for me?" He asked curiously.  
  
"I do sweetheart." A woman's voice filled the room. Quatre turned around to gaze at a picture of himself as a girl. Blonde, curly hair and bright hazel eyes. Her smile was warm, just like his. "My goodness you've grown so much my darling Quatre."  
  
"Are you…are you my…?" Tears began to roll down his face. She opened her arms to him and nodded her head to confirm. "Mom." He walked towards her but his hands went right through. "What's happening?! You could touch me before! Why can't I hug her?!"  
  
"You're going back. I told you that you were going to make it."  
  
"But…but I just met her! I don't want to go! Please!"  
  
"Quatre, don't wish for death. You have to go back. For them, and for us. Live for us, Quat." Solo smiled, and then turned his head towards the hallway. "Someone needs me. Bye Quatre. I hope I don't see you for a long time." With that they vanished.  
  
"Bye."  
  
Sally walked out of the room. She was attacked by three very concerned pilots.   
  
"He's going to be okay. But he's going to need a large amount of rest first."  
  
"Is he awake?"   
  
"Can we see him?!"  
  
"He's starting to barely come to and one person at a time!"  
  
"I'll go get Duo. It only seems right." Heero walked down the hallway.   
  
The shower ran down on Shingami. It had been cold for a long time, but Duo didn't care. Quatre's blood still hadn't come completely off his skin.   
  
"Oh Quat."  
  
"Duo, stop beating yourself up. He's going to make it." Solo appeared in the stall.   
  
"I almost made the same mistake again. I almost hesitated again like with…"  
  
"Stop it! That was so long ago and…what's done is done. Promise me you won't beat yourself up. Remember the good, not the bad. Go to your friend."  
  
"Maxwell? You still in here?" Heero's voice rang through the locker room setting. Duo looked towards the sound of Heero's voice and when he looked back, Solo was gone.   
  
"Yeah, what's up?"  
  
"He's awake. You want to see him?"  
  
The shower turned off.  
  
"Quatre?"  
  
"Duo?" came a weak whisper. Hazel eyes peaked through the slivers of Quatre's barely open eyes.  
  
"Take it easy. I'm glad to see you are okay."  
  
"Duo…Solo…Solo said…he doesn't blame you. He…is…always looking out for you." Weakly, he smiled.  
  
02 leaned forward and kissed Quatre on the forehead. "God was with both of us today."  
  
"He wasn't the only one." On the other side of his bed sat his mother, smiling. "I'll never be alone again."  
  
End Transmission  
  
R&R! 


End file.
